If you have a general civil case you can ask for an Early Settlement Conference.

What happens at an Early Settlement Conference?

The parties (and their lawyers) meet with a neutral. A neutral is an experienced lawyer who will try to help the parties come to an agreement to settle the case before trial.

How can we schedule an Early Settlement Conference?

If you and the other party agree that it may help you to resolve your case before the trial, ask for an Early Settlement Conference when you go to your Case Management Conference. The judge will give you information on how to sign up for an Early Settlement Conference. You can view, search and print lists of CESC Neutrals - see the Finding a Civil Early Settlement Conference Neutral page in the Civil Division section of this website.

Is an Early Settlement Conference the same as a Mandatory Settlement Conference?

No. Early Settlement Conferences are only for cases where everyone agrees to try to settle the case early. The conference usually takes place very early in the case, within the first 6 months. Every case that does not settle before trial and would take more than one day in trial will have a Mandatory Settlement Conference. They usually happen the week before the trial is set to start.